How to Plan a Wedding in Ireland from Abroad

Every week we receive emails from Irish pals all over the world, asking for advice because they're planning their wedding in Ireland from abroad and they've hit some snag or other. So today we thought we'd put all those email queries together, add in ideas from couples who featured in real weddings who organised their Irish wedding from afar, and come up with some top tips for anyone in the same boat. From the initial planning and paperwork (don't stumble on the legal bit!) through managing your suppliers from 1000s of miles away, to getting the dress here in one, uncrumpled, piece, I hope these bits of advice can help take some of the stress away...

Initial Planning

1. Remember Bank Holidays & Peak Travel Times

Before you book anything, have a look at the calendar and consider the bank holidays, special dates in Ireland, and where you're based, if you're inviting any of your friends to travel back with you, before deciding on preferred times. The August and June Bank Holidays, Christmas time etc can be super busy in Ireland and expensive for flights and accommodation.

2. Organise the Legalities As Soon As Possible

It is possible to apply for your marriage license by post, but advisable to do so months in advance. The paperwork must be lodged a minimum of 3 months before the chosen date and you must appear in person and meet the registrar at least 5 days before the wedding. If one of you is not Irish, you may have to apply for an apostille to be issued on the birth certificate of the non-Irish partner. This can take up to six weeks. Check out our post about the legalities in Ireland and double check on the requirements with the HSE to be sure, to be sure.

3. Check on Religious Ceremony Requirements

To have a catholic wedding in Ireland, the couple must have completed the required pre-marriage course and to prove their eligibility to marry in the catholic church. Each religion is different, so be sure to check up what the exact requirements from your church are. Also be aware that not every catholic priest in Ireland will marry you or allow you to have your ceremony in their church. If you're not local to the area, you'll need to check with them what their personal policy is and that the bishop and diocese also.

4. Watch Your Budget - Currency Exchanges Properly

One of the trickiest parts of planning a wedding from abroad is managing the money. It's harder than the usual wedding budget planning for two reasons: first you will have to manage in two different currencies, making sure to account for currency fluctuations, of course (Brexit I'm looking at you!). Second, you have to transfer money across international borders. A pain not only because you have to go to the bank to do it, but also because of the extra fees involved.

A simple solution to both problems is to use CurrencyFair for making those transfers. You can save up to 80% on the exchange and international transfer fees charged by your local bank. It is just as easy as online banking - but you could save yourself up to €500 on fees while planning the wedding, plus you don't need to visit the bank or fill in unnecessary paperwork. It's quick, it's super safe and for One Fab Day readers CurrencyFair are waiving their transfer fee! All the details are onwww.currencyfair.com/onefabday

5. Get a Skype Account

Another additional expense to avoid is long-distance phone calls, of which you'll have loads. Calling on facebook messenger, whatsapp and google hangouts is possible of course, but most businesses will prefer to arrange calls on skype rather than getting random messages (See below) on their personal accounts. Most use skype for this purpose.

Managing Suppliers

6. Remember the Time Difference

For couples based in Australia or the US, the time difference is probably the single most annoying part of planning a wedding in Ireland from abroad. Unfortunately there's nothing to be done but to have a little patience. You will be waiting hours for a response but avoid the temptation to text or call in the middle of the night (Irish time) because you haven't gotten a response yet.

7. Wedding Businesses Work at the Weekends

Unfortunately another source of frustration can be slow responses. It's worth remembering that wedding businesses are on site/under way on Fridays and Saturdays and Sunday is generally a day off. So while you have more time to think about your wedding at the weekend, your suppliers aren't available then. So if you're looking for quick turnaround, it's worth bearing in mind that Monday to Thursday are the best times to arrange calls, send emails and generally try to liaise with your suppliers.

8. Get the Look, Save the Stress - Hire a Stylist

If you're like a lot of One Fab Day brides and grooms, you have a certain vision and expectation for the style of your wedding. Styling a wedding, sourcing items to hire, finding the right suppliers who can deliver the look you're going for and coordinating them all is difficult enough when you're based in the same country. If you're based abroad, my advice is don't bother - it will be far too stressful and ruin your wedding experience. Find a great stylist, explain your vision clearly and trust them.

9. For a Marquee Wedding or Wedding at Home - Hire a Planner

If your dream wedding venue is right outside your back door, then I have only one simple piece of advice: Hire a Wedding Planner. As someone who has been there and done that, trust me I know better than anyone the aches and pains of planning a marquee wedding at home. It's a mammoth task at the best of times. If you're located out of the country it is almost impossible to not have a nervous breakdown. Put the extra in the budget and save yourself so much time, money and stress in the long run.

The Art of Delegation

10. Venue Visits

When you're far away it's really hard to not be frightened of committing to a venue without having seen it. Something we hear from all sides is how stressful it can be when you ask your parents to view venues for you, and they don't like your potential choices. Mum and Dad are looking at barns thinking "what the...?! No way is my daughter getting married here". If they don't understand what you're looking for, then they can't judge it objectively. So ask someone who whose taste you trust to, who understands what you're looking for, and whose honest opinion you trust.

11. Trust Your Suppliers

Before you hire anyone for your weddingm a good deal of background research is advisable: what kind of weddings have they done before, where have they worked, do you like their style, do you like the real weddings they've been featured in. Picking suppliers whose style is what you're looking for should make the relationship much easier because you're going to have to trust them to deliver your vision without having face-to-face conversations. This is particularly true for florists. Floral arrangements are never identical. They will never deliver exactly the picture you sent on, their work is, by its nature (pun!!) about working what's in season and available and delivering a vision.

Travelling Home

12. Be Home at Least One Week Before the Wedding

Between jetlag, wedding nerves and last minute arrangements, you will need some breathing time in Ireland to adjust to everything and get your game on. Our advice is come home at least one week (two if you can do it) before the wedding and allow yourself at least 3-5 days afterwards to come down from the high. Weddings are high-octane events, you'll be buzzing on adrenaline, a little decompression time afterwards with family and friends will be wonderful.

13. Don't go overboard bringing things back to Ireland

If you're ignoring my advice about a stylist (i'm just saying...) then it can be tempting to get everything you need where you are and try to bring it home to Ireland in a bag, Mary Poppins-style. Beware the hassle of bringing loads of luggage, the extra cost, and the inevitable sinking feeling that you forgot something important and now can't run home to get it. If you're planning decor yourself, try and get them in Ireland/UK and shipped home ahead of you. Also delegating some of that shopping to a good friend can save you a lot of time and heartache. There's one important item that you should get wherever you're living though...

14. Get your dress locally...

If you're living abroad it makes way more sense to buy your dress locally in order to have your fitttings on time, make sure everything is exactly as you want it to be. Ordering from a distance and hoping it will look good on the day should only be an option for those with a major appetite for risk!

15. ...but be careful with transport

If you're flying long distance, ask the air host/ess could they possibly hang it in first class (pretty please). If you're flying short distance, book it a seat of its own. You need to keep it flat or hanging to avoid creasing and crushing.

Keep a Cool Head, it will all be Perfect...

So there are our 15 bits of advice, hope they're helpful. Wedding planning is really about being organised and keeping a cool head even when you feel all the decisions and choices starting to stress you out. We'd love to hear anyone else's top tips. And if you ever have anything you need help with, just drop us a line on the contact page!